The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-18
FERTILIZERS


have an abundance of Honey peaches
and Crawford Late. He has about three
acres planted in peanuts, and next fall
you may depend on their being some
'.goober grabbing out that way. Now
before leave Mr.. Rumley, for see the
raindrops are falling in volume across
the lake and must hurry off, / must tell
you how he grows so much, succeeds so
well and has such a cine place. OF
course you viii say he uses lots of bone
dust and commercial fertilizers; he must
do it or else how is that poor sand bank
of his to do such wonders? Well, now,
in the first place, Keuka sand is similar
TO the sand of other places in Florida,
but it will all deceive you in its wonder
full natural capability; it will produce
more to the acre than you would imagine
from its looks, but this Is not the view
Mr.. Rumley takes of it. He thinks if
nature is assisted little, it will respond
generously and pay good dividends. /
think from his practice that he rejects
that fallacy that has done so much harm
to Florida-.'tickle the ground with a
hoe and it will laugh with a beautiful
harvest" but substitutes that better
maxim-''unless We work We shall not
eat" He has a little compost heap
handy and that is his fertilizer manufac-
tory, from this he draws all the fertil-
izer he needs and all he uses, and when
applied to his fields, constitutes a bank
that never fails to honor a check
left Mr.. Rumley's place. with hand
full of flowers plucked from his bushes,
exchanging adieus with him while l
quickened my pace, and lodging the
raindrops reach, just in time to save a
wetting, the place of Rev. N. r. Hamer
1.-The rain raineth," but it did not cease
until late in the afternoon, and I settled
down to stay all night. Mr.. Hamer is a
newcomer, having moved here from
Mississippi last December.
APoULTRY YARD.
Excepting the cleaning of land en-
closed and about one hundred trees
planted, there was nothing done on his
place when he arrived. Now he has a
tasty and comfortable house, good gar
den and a variety of trees and plants
will name hereafter. His hobby is poul-
try, and as he keeps mostly white va
rieties, has named his place .'Snowdrtft
Poultry Yards" His stock is of the
purest, and it is a treat to see the crowds
of fluffy little chicks he has and the way
he manages them. White Leghorns,
white Wyandottes, white Plymouth
Rocks, light Brahmas and Brown Leg
horns are the kinds he keeps, each hav-
ing separate houses and yards. 1 saw
some white Leghorns there about ten
weeks old that l should think would
weigh pound and half. 1t is his in
tention to have enough broilers to keep
Palatka supplied, and furnish fowl
well fed, quickly grown, fat and juicy.
His place is neatly kept, and beside
orange trees of several varieties, he has
the LeConte pear, Japan persimmon,
Japan, Kelsey and Mariana plums, three
new kinds of pomegranates-Pape
Shell, Spanish Ruby and Hermicello; the
Chinese and Orange ounce; Peento,
Honey, Jackson's Prolific, My Favorite
and Golden Clear peach; this last is
DePass' best over one hundred figs
early, medium and late, covering the
season from May to December; Scupper-
nong grapes, Harris choice bananas, and
in small way rice, kaffir corn and
casava. He, too, has planted orna-
mental trees and flowers, and ere long
will make a handsome and profitable
place. In six months, though he has done
well, and believes that with labor Florida
soil will.accomplish wonders.
MR. F. J. NEHER'S PLACE
Mr. E. j. Neher has had only two
years start on his place. In that time
he has cleared the land, fenced it, built
his dwelling and other houses needed,
planted his grove and set the wheels in
motion. People out this way believe in
poultry. Mr. Neher keeps blooded poul-
try of the following kinds: Plymouth
Rocks, Laced Wyandottes, white and
brown Leghorns. He makes a business
of it and keeps his flocks in separate
yards and in an intelligent and business
like way. He is having fair success
though the season has been a dull one.
He believes in making his place pay and
is no sluggard. His strawberry
patch is one of the finest 1
saw, while his .'Peento" peach
trees We're loaded with fruit. He favor
ed me with one of the peaches which 1
guess was the first of the season. He
has LeConte pears, pomegranates, Japan
plums, Japan chestnuts, Honey peach,
one year from planting, six feet high
and full of fruit, a fig tree three feet
high with fruit, a Russian mulberry tree,
a fine sugar cane patch and about half
an acre in cassava. Last season he
raised two hills of cassava from one of
which he took fourteen and a half
pounds and the other fifteen and half
pounds Mr.. Neher also makes his own
fertilizers.
ELDER MOoRE's HORTICUI TURE-
next went to Elder MoOre's place.
To my surprise L found the model farmer
at work at Mr.. Joseph Reds house doing
some as good granting and painting as
YOU need to look ut. He told me that
painting used to be his business and
thought he Il try his hand to see if he
had forgotten all he knew about it. l
gave MIR. Moore warning that l was
about to interview him, whereupon he
Immediately laid aside his paint and
granting brushes and proceeded to his
house, where he lay in wait for me until
should make visit to Mr.. Neher. Armed
with welcoming smile and a warm